Rite of Succession
by Ozymandius
Summary: What if the person who had to defeat Atem and send him to the next world was not Yugi, but a destined successor from the past? T for Language
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my first story. I am writing this to avenge what I saw as a major injustice in Yu-gi-oh. At the end of the series Yugi duels Atem to send him to the afterlife. I understand that it was a way of showing that Yugi was ready to be his own man and that is fine. However, I think that after being embarrassed by the Atem/Yugi team so many times, Kaiba should have gotten his shot to put them down for once. So this will be my attempt to write out how the show should have ended. The story will go AU right after the memory world and start already on the ship on the way to the tomb were the duel takes place. I'll be using mostly the dubbed anime but I might take some things from the magna. Reviews are appreciated and flames hurt my feelings (what feelings?).

Big thanks to Crystal Rose of Pollux for the help posting this and proofreading this chapter.

I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH or any of the characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

Rite of Succession

In a cabin, on a ship, on the Nile river in Egypt, ten people (and one spirit) stand. They are discussing the destiny of someone close to them all (even if some won't admit it). They are learning what awaits them upon their arrival at the tomb of the Pharaoh. Known by other names, Yugi, Yami, the King of Games, Great Pharaoh, and simply Pharaoh, his name has been revealed to be Atem and with this revelation his destiny has been completed. He now makes what could be his final journey, to a long and well deserved rest. However, despite this he is still just a spirit within the Millennium Puzzle, incapable of moving without his host. Now he listens intently to the other occupants of the room. Included in the room are his partner, Yugi, his friends, Tea, Joey, and Tristan, the tomb keepers Ishizu, Marik, and Odion, the former host of Zorc, Ryo Bakura, and the Kaiba Brothers, Seto and Mokuba. They have gathered to hear what Ishizu knows of the challenges ahead.

"The Pharaoh has completed his destiny" Ishizu said. "Now It is time For him to find rest."

"But how will he find rest?" asked Yugi. "I mean he's already dead so it's not like he can die again."

"Yeah and he doesn't exactly have a body to bury either," Joey said "unless we're gonna bury Yugi."

The smirk could almost be heard in his voice as Kaiba taunted Joey "What's the point of burying him Mutt, you'd only dig him up again.

"Kaiba" Ishizu cautioned, of course the warning was ignored.

"After all," Kaiba continued, "you need him to win your duels for you."

"WHAT!" Joey exclaimed "Come over here and say that rich boy!"

"Joey' please don't start fighting" Tea begged.

"Yeah man," Tristan chimed in, "He's not worth it"

"You know, Taylor," Kaiba said "you always say that. But what you really mean is that a dog should not talk back to his master."

"You..." Tea started but Kaiba cut her off.

"Save it Gardner, I don't have the time to listen to a eight hour friendship rant from the Cheerleader."

"Seto, be nice" Mokuba begged.

"KAIBA! That is it! You can insult me but no insults my friends!" Joey yelled.

"ENOUGH!" Ishizu cut in. "We are not hear to listen to you argue, we are hear to help the Pharaoh."

"I don't even know why he's here!" Joey fumed. "It's not like he even cares about Yugi or Atem."

"He is here because I asked him." Ishizu revealed. "The reason will be clear to you soon enough."

"Ishizu is right Joey" Yugi agreed "you fighting with Kaiba isn't going to help the Pharaoh."

"So what exactly is going to happen when we get to the Pharaoh's tomb?" Tea asked.

"I'll let Marik explain as he knows more about the ancient writings". Ishizu then stepped back to give Marik the floor.

"Well," he began, "when we get to the tomb the Pharoah must undergo a final challenge to determine if he is truly ready to leave this world."

"What kind of challenge?" Yugi asked.

"A duel, what else?" Marik said with a smile. "If he loses then he knows there is someone else who can take over the job of protecting the world and he can rest. If he wins then it is not yet time for him to leave this plane and he must remain as its protector until someone else capable of the job comes along."

"Marik," Atem, now speaking through Yugi, began, "who is this challenger?"

"It is someone in this room," he replied. "Ishizu knows."

"It's me isn't it?" asked Joey. " I mean only a duelist of my obvious skill could beat Yugi...I mean Atem."

A snort from Kaiba and blank looks from the rest of the assembly was all the response he got.

"No," said Ishizu, "this is not a matter of friendship or personal preference. It is a matter of destiny."

Kaiba groaned in the corner "Not this again! I can't believe that you still subscribe to that destiny nonsense!"

"It is not nonsense Kaiba! I can't believe that after all you have seen you continue to deny its existence!". Ishizu shot back.

"Then tell me oh great all-knowing one," Kaiba said with a smirk and more sarcasm then was necessary, "if it isn't Wheeler who is it? Marik? Maybe Gardner?" he started to laugh at the thought.

"Hey Kaiba, shut up!" Joey shouted. "No one asked your opinion!"

"Yeah let the woman talk!" Tristan chimed in.

Still chuckling Kaiba took his seat earning a reproachful glare from Mokuba.

"As I was saying," Ishizu said, "this duel is not a matter of friendship or personal preference. And to answer your question Kaiba it isn't Marik or Tea."

"Then who is it?" Tea asked

Ishizu sighed, the sigh of a person tired of being interrupted, earning another chuckle from Kaiba.

"It is the same person who succeeded him before, five thousand years ago." She said

"Wait," said Atem, "the person who took over in the past was Priest Seth. Does that mean..."

"Yes," Ishizu confirmed, "the Pharaoh's final challenger will be...Seto Kaiba!" she said turning to the CEO who looked almost as stunned as everyone else.

"Me... why me?" Kaiba asked clearly not able to grasp what Ishizu had said. He had only been half listening anyway and the revelation that he would be the one to face Atem was the only thing that had registered.

"Because Seto Kaiba," she replied, "destiny cannot be denied. As it was your duty to rule Egypt in his place so it now falls to you to succeed him in the present. By defeating the Pharaoh in this final duel you prove your worth as his successor and open the door for him to move on to the afterlife."

"Exactly" said a voice.

"Shadi!" exclaimed Atem.

"It is good to see you my Pharaoh." Shadi said. He then turned to Ishizu. "Have you finished telling them everything?" he asked.

"Everything that needs to be said at the moment." Ishizu replied. "The rest can wait for the morning."

"She's right guys," Tea said checking her watch. It's getting late we should get some sleep."

The others nodded and began to head for their rooms. Within minutes only three people still remained in the cabin.

"I need to talk to you, both of you" Kaiba said addressing the other occupants.

"We expected as much." replied Shadi, as he gestured toward some chairs.

Soon Kaiba, Ishizu, and Shadi were sitting in a circle. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable and finally with a sigh Kaiba started the conversation.

"What exactly am I supposed to do tomorrow?" asked the CEO.

"Simple," Shadi replied, "defeat the Pharaoh, if you can."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Kaiba narrowing his cold blue eyes at the Egyptian. "Do you think he's better than me?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

"Yes" Shadi replied simply, "he always was."

"Well then," Kaiba said, "why should I even bother with this idiocy? You think he's better than me? Based on what? A few lucky victories!" To say the CEO was irate would have been an understatement. He was tired of people comparing him to Yugi or Yami or Atem or whatever the hell he was calling himself this week. "If you doubt my ability so much I'll just call for a helicopter to pick my brother and I up. You can let Wheeler try to beat your precious Pharaoh." He said.

"No Kaiba," Ishizu spoke up, "it must be you it's..

"If you say my destiny I'll throw you overboard." He said without any humor in his voice.

"Despite what you may think of Ishizu's opinion she is correct." Shadi said. "It must be you."

"Joy." Seto said sarcastically.

"Kaiba," Ishizu said, "you mustn't let what Shadi says affect you so much. Just because your past self could not defeat the Pharaoh does not mean that you can not. After all you are two different people."

"It was not your destiny to defeat him, or even to face him in Battle City." Shadi said.

"However," Ishizu cut in, "you defied your destiny. You did face the Pharaoh and you lost. You may well be destined to lose again, but if anyone can change their fate, it is you. You are the only one to prevent the destiny predicted for them by my Millennium Necklace. Perhaps you can defy fate again."

"But we have talked long enough." Shadi said. "You must have time to rest and prepare your deck."

"Hmph" was all Kaiba said. He turned and left the room.

"What do you think?" Ishizu asked turning to her companion.

"I think that tomorrow will be very interesting." Shadi replied.

* * *

Well that's the first Chapter tell me what you think. I'm still working on the duel and will accept ideas you may have just send them in a review. I'm about half done with it although it probably won't make it till chapter 3.

If anyone wants to post this story elsewhere I have no problems with that as long as you tell me first and give me the credit for it.


	2. Chapter 2

All that stuff from the first chapter still applies. This chapter gets a bit Angsty but what's a good story without Angst?

I own None of Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Reminisce

Kaiba lay in his cot, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep as usual and not for the first time envied Mokuba who was sleeping soundly in his cot against the other wall. He sighed and got to his feet. 'What is wrong with me? Am I developing some kind of inferiority complex? That damn Shadi! How dare he imply that I'm not good enough to beat Yugi.' He made his way to the only table in the room and pulled out his deck. 'Might as well accomplish something' he thought.

First he laid out his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He took a moment to admire the cards and think about the events in the memory world. 'Kisara.' He shook the thought away. Why did he have such a feeling of foreboding? He was getting another chance to duel Yugi. He should be thrilled and focused on the task of perfecting his deck. But something about this just didn't feel right. He looked again at his Dragons. They started this he thought. Remembering his first duel with Yugi, he remembered how ridiculous he thought his hair was, and how he seemed to grow half a foot and get a deeper voice when he dueled. He remembered the horror of watching his beloved Dragons get obliterated by Exodia and the darkness of the penalty game that followed.

And then there was Pegasus. Even now he couldn't help but feel his blood boil as he thought of that man and what he did to his brother. Crushing Wheeler had felt good but the nature of his victory against Yugi still left a bitter taste in his mouth. And then seeing Mokuba without a soul...he had felt so helpless. He hated that feeling. The loss to Pegasus had made him feel that in spades. He remembered the feeling of hopelessness, a bright light, Pegasus laughing and then...nothing. He still had nightmares sometimes about the empty darkness. He looked again at Mokuba. How does he sleep through the night? He was in that hell even longer but it didn't seem to affect him as much. 'I'll need to ask him that some day' Kaiba thought. But Yugi had saved him. He could've cared less if it would have just been him but Yugi saved Mokuba too. For that he owed him.

He thought next of Battle City. Normally thinking of how Yugi humiliated him at his own tournament was enough to motivate him for a duel but tonight was different. That should have been his crowning achievement, he had even finally buried his stepfather for good in Noah's virtual world. He should have been crowned the Battle City champion on the top of his tower. But Yugi took the glory along with his god card. And those visions. He hadn't understood them at the time and it was only with his recent experiences in the memory world that they made even the slightest bit of sense. He sighed. Back to the problem at hand. How to defeat Yugi's gods?

He next laid out the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon he had won from Pegasus. This card could beat a god. 'Why did I give back the Pyramid of Light card again?, oh yeah cause it was evil.' he thought. That and the fact Pegasus refused to sanction the card. 'An illegal card won't help me.' That duel he had been so close to beating Yugi. If ever there was a time he had been close to admitting to the possibility of magic it was then. It just isn't normal for men to rise up out of the ground. Nor is it normal for giant dogs made out of what appeared to be black tar to grow horns, talk, shoot black flames from their mouths, and then disintegrate from a duel monster's attack. If he didn't have this card for proof he would have thought he was on a bad acid trip. Even though he didn't use drugs, that was still a more preferable explanation than admitting it was real.

'I wish I still had Critias.' Not that he liked looking back on that time. Dealing with Alister's misguided vengeance quest was annoying, and getting his soul removed from his body again was not a pleasant memory. Then, of course, there was the giant lizard in the sky. These things always happened when he was around Yugi and the geek squad.

'Hmm...Polymerization and Dragon's Mirror are good for my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'. I wonder if I am just a bit too obsessed with that card?' He smirked. Not that it would surprise him if he was. After all the things he had learned recently, why not? Getting the Millennium Eye from Bakura led him to learn about his connection to the Blue-Eyes, and got his soul pulled from his body for the third time. 'I really need to stop doing that.' But seeing his past self, even if he didn't entirely believe any of this happened, had been enlightening.

He sighed again and basically just picked up his deck, plus the Shinning Dragon and the Dragon Master Knight fusion card. There wasn't anything wrong with his strategy he had decided and he really couldn't think of anyway to improve on it. After putting his deck in his duel disk for tomorrow he decided to go for a walk. Taking a last look at the sleeping form of his brother, he stepped out on to the deck. Leaning against the rail at the bow after his third lap around of the ship, he looked at the miles still to go.

"Kaiba?" a voice said.

"What do you want Yugi?" he sighed. He really didn't want to talk to anyone right now especially not the kid with the world's largest starfish glued to his head.

"I was just wondering if your worried about tomorrow too?" said starfish head asked, "I mean I know its not the first time you've dueled the Pha...I mean Atem, but if it was me I would be crawling up the walls."

"Do I look nervous to you Yugi?" Seto replied. "I am not afraid of dueling your so called Pharaoh. He's only beaten me by luck before."

"Luck?"

"Yes Yugi luck. What else do you call drawing Exodia? And if I hadn't gotten greedy and helped him get Slifer, he never would have beaten me at Battle City either."

"But what about Duelist Kingdom? If I hadn't stopped him he might have killed you." Yugi argued.

If it hadn't been so dark Yugi might have seen Kaiba flinch. "For your information, I had my Negate Attack card on the field. If I hadn't been so distracted by thought of losing Mokuba I would have remembered it. I would have stopped your Celtic Guardian's attack and obliterated you with my Blue-Eyes anyway."

Yugi looked like he had nothing to say to that and turned to look at the river. Long minutes passed in silence before he spoke again. "Kaiba?"

Seto growled in irritation. He had come out here to think and be alone not to play twenty questions with the midget. "What Yugi."

Now it was Yugi's turn to flinch. He really didn't want to annoy Kaiba, not here, where he could so easily be thrown into the river with no witnesses. Still he needed to know something. "Kaiba." he started again, "how do you feel about tomorrow's duel?"

Kaiba stared at Yugi for a long time. He watched as Yugi swallowed nervously, weighing the question and his response. "I'm going to bed." he said at last. Seto had decided the best way to answer that question was to simply dodge it and so he stepped past Yugi and back toward his cabin.

Yugi, for his part, simply let it slide and, after calling out his goodnight, which wasn't returned, he headed back to his own cabin.

* * *

Well I have to say I've read this chapter about ten times and something still seems off to me. If anyone has a sugestion for how this could be better let me know.

Also we'll get to the duel next chapter so any ideas for that would be appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3

Here's chapter 3. Let the duel begin.

Thanks again to Crystal Rose of Pollux for her support in this.

I DO NOT OWN Yu-Gi-Oh

* * *

The Day Arrives: Kaiba vs Atem

-

The next morning found the gang at breakfast minus one notable person.

"Hey Mokuba," Joey yelled, "Where's dat asshole brother of yours?"

"Seto said he wasn't coming to breakfast." Mokuba said

"Why?" Joey asked. "Is he to good to eat breakfast with us?"

"He didn't sleep last night, so he overslept this morning." Mokuba replied. " Besides he said there was no point in coming to breakfast because by the time he got here you and Tristan will have eaten all the food."

"Actually," said a cold voice from the doorway," I said that by the time the Mutt and Sharkhead got done their wouldn't be anything left."

"Kaiba, why does the first thing out of your mouth in the morning have to be an insult?" Tea asked.

"You're wrong Gardner, first thing I said was good morning to Mokuba, insulting you geeks was the second thing I said." The tone in his voice made Tea want to walk over and smack him but before she could even move, Yugi cut in.

"Kaiba, why do you always have to start arguments?"

"They're fun." Seto replied with a smirk.

Before Joey could respond and start a whole new argument, one of the deck hands stepped into the room.

"We have arrived." He said.

The entire group fell silent and one by one they filed out on to the deck.

It was a warm day, however since they were in a desert that was hardly surprising. As the group made their way off the ship, they were unsurprised to see that the Ishtars and Shadi were already waiting for them.

"So, are we ready?" Joey asked.

"We are still waiting for one more person to arrive." Shadi said.

"Who's that?" Yugi asked as a helicopter could be heard approaching in the distance.

"The only Millennium item bearer who is not present." Ishizu said.

"Dear god in heaven," Kaiba started, "you did not invite..."

"Hello Kaiba-boy!"

"...Pegasus."

The CEO buried his face in his hands as the rest of the group looked up to see the well dressed, and more than a little eccentric, creator of duel monsters descend a rope ladder hanging from the helicopter. Once he was on the ground Pegasus flashed the group a radiant smile.

"Pegasus!" Atem yelled having taken over for Yugi, "What do you want?"

"Why Yugi-boy, or is it?" Pegasus said as he gave the Pharaoh a once over, "I'm here to see the show of course, I mean I've seen you beat Kaiba-boy on television but nothing beats the real thing."

"Why is everyone so certain I'm going to lose?" Kaiba asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

Tristan, having over heard him said "Maybe because you've never won?"

The glare that Seto fixed on him made him instantly regret saying anything, and he ran to hide behind Joey. Mokuba looked into his brother's eyes and saw something he never thought he would see, doubt. His brother was beginning to doubt himself and that alone was making him uneasy.

"Seto..." he started.

"Let's get this over with I have a company to run." Seto said striding into the tomb. The rest of the group followed.

"Alright Ishizu, what do we do first?" Yugi asked.

"First we place the seven Millennium Items in the tablet." She said gesturing toward an Egyptian tablet with holes for each of the Millennium items, "Then the Pharaoh must speak his name." (A/N don't remember how it actually went so I'm making this up.)

"Right let's do this!" Joey yelled and a short time later all the items were placed.

"Now my Pharaoh, speak your name." Shadi bowed and then stepped back and so did the others, leaving the Pharaoh alone by the tablet.

"Atem!" He shouted and almost instantly a light burst from the tablet filling the entire chamber. When the light cleared and their vision returned to normal they looked to see Yugi standing near the tablet. What was strange was that standing next to Yugi was another Yugi, although this one was taller and had an air of authority about him. The Pharaoh had his own body back at last.

'Two Yugis' Seto thought, 'what the hell, you mean there really is a Pharaoh and its not just some trick. He doesn't have a split personality!' If his confidence was shaky before this final revelation almost shattered it. If the Pharaoh was real, was everything real? He had been certain that they would arrive, go through this silly ritual, find out nothing happens, and go home. He had not expected this and now he knew why he had felt so uneasy the night before. Because deep down he had known but had been unwilling to admit that magic was real, and now he was looking the proof in the face. And if that was true maybe all that destiny nonsense was true also. He had been destined to lose, to be humiliated, by Yugi. Maybe he was never supposed to beat him. "if anyone can change their fate, it is you. You are the only one to prevent the destiny predicted for them by my Millennium Necklace. Perhaps you can defy fate again" Ishizu's words echoed in his mind. Perhaps there was a way. He had never backed down before no matter the odds, he wasn't about to start. He could beat this fate, he was his own master and no one tells Seto Kaiba what he can and cannot do.

"Kaiba," Atem said "are you ready?"

"Since the day we met." Seto said. There was a fire in his eyes Atem had never seen, a determination that spoke of someone who had just discovered himself. 'Perhaps' the Pharaoh thought 'he has finally accepted the truth and become a worthy successor, we shall see.'

The remainder of the group cleared away from the platform to give to two rivals room. They activated their duel disks and drew their cards, no words were spoken as they all been spoken already.

"Who is going first?" Joey asked

"Age before beauty." Kaiba replied with a smirk.

Atem smiled as he drew his card.

"LET'S DUEL!" they both cried.

"I place one card face down and summon Queens Knight 1500/1200 in attack mode." Atem said. "End turn."

"Fine, I summon Vorse Raider 1900/1000 in attack mode. I also place one card face down and activate Future Fusion!" Kaiba sent two of his Blue-Eyes to the graveyard along with Versago the Destroyer. 'Two turns till my Ultimate Dragon' Kaiba thought. "Then my Vorse Raider attacks your Queens Knight!

"And activates my Trap! Spellbinding Circle!" The mystical ring surrounded the Vorse Raider stopping its attack.

"I end my turn." Kaiba said.

After one turn.

Atem 4000

Kaiba 4000

"My move!" Atem yelled. "I summon Kings Knight! When Knights Knight1500/1200 and Queens Knight are together on the field, I can special summon Jacks Knight 1900/1500 as well! I end my turn."

"Going for a god already?" Seto asked. "Are you in a hurry or something?

"I'm just anxious to see if your worthy." Atem replied, "Now make your move."

"Gladly, a monster in face down defense mode. End turn!"

After two turns

Atem 4000

Kaiba 4000

"Alright Kaiba time to be Judged!" Atem exclaimed. "I sacrifice Kings, Queens, and Jacks Knight to summon the Egyptian God Obelisk the Tormentor 4000/4000!" Clouds appeared near the ceiling and a bolt of lightning struck behind the Pharaoh, blinding those who observed it. When the light dissipated and they could see again they saw the massive God of the Obelisk looming behind him. "Obelisk attack Kaiba's Vorse Raider! Fist of Fury!" The god reared back and then threw a punch with his glowing fist the shattered the Vorse Raider.

"It's not that easy!" Kaiba yelled. "I reveal my face down card, Option Hunter! This card gives me back Life points equal to the attack of my destroyed monster!" Kaiba's Life points dropped by 2100 only to rise again by 1900.

"I end my turn" Atem said.

Kaiba smiled as he drew his card. "Second turn Future Fusion activates! Come forth Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon 4500/3800!" The mighty dragon descended and hovered before its master. It seemed to glow with divine light making the god seem pale by comparison. Kaiba took a moment to look upon his dragon and then gave it its orders. "Ultimate Dragon, destroy Obelisk, Ultimate Burst!" On command the dragon's mouths began to glow as they built the energy for their attack. As the awesome attack was launched and the god crumbled Atem couldn't shake the feeling that the dragon was almost smirking. "I end my turn."

"Whoa!" Joey said. "I can't believe that Atem got a god out already or that Kaiba could destroy so fast!"

"Yeah he did." Tea confirmed. "What's worse is that Kaiba did so casually, its like he was expecting Obelisk the whole time and was ready for him."

"If that's true how much is he ready for?" Tristan asked. "Does he a way to beat all of the gods?"

'Well Kaiba-boy,' Pegasus thought, 'it seems you have learned from your previous defeats.'

"Hmm, he actually beat a god." Marik said. " But I wonder if the Priest can defeat the others. After all Obelisk is the weakest of the gods."

"True," Shadi said, "the Priest is either more resilient, or more lucky than I thought."

"It was not luck." Ishizu stated. "This duel will not be decided by the gods."

After 3 turns

Atem 3500

Kaiba 3800

"Fine! My move." The King of Games drew a card and smiled. "I activate my Pot of Greed! Now I can draw two cards, and since I drew Watapon I can special summon it to the field in defense mode. Then I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" The tomb glowed with a pure light as the mystical swords fell, immobilizing Kaiba's dragon and revealing his defense monster to be Peten the Dark Clown. "I end my turn."

"Fine." Seto said drawing his card. "Since I'm unable to attack I end my turn."

After 4 turns

Atem 3500

Kaiba 3800

"Very well." Atem drew his card. "I summon Kuriboh in defense mode. End turn."

"Well at least with his swords up he's safe from Kaiba's dragon." Joey said.

"But only for three turns he needs something big now." Yugi stated. 'I've never seen that look on Kaiba's face before,' he thought, 'he's winning, but he isn't gloating or laughing like he usually does. This isn't the Kaiba I know.'

Kaiba looked at his cards and looked at Yugi's, no Atem's, he reminded himself, field. 'Damn swords,' he thought, 'He must be building to summon another god, but with Watapon and Kuriboh Ra would useless unless he's going to try for the one turn kill, so my guess would be Slifer. But I better make sure.' Taking a card from his he placed in the disk appearing face-down. "I'll place one card and end my turn."

After 4 turns

Atem 3500

Kaiba 3800

"I draw." Atem said. "And then I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode. I end my turn!"

"Fine." Kaiba said. "Your swords protect you for now but after this turn they're done, just like you. One card down, your move."

* * *

End of chapter 3. I'm still not sure I like it but I'll go withit for now. I hope to have chapter 4, which will wrap the duel and be longer by the end of April but so far it has been very difficult to write.

Reviews might make me update faster and feel free to flame. I'm not really much of a writer (The D- I got in Written Communications proves that.) so I need all opinions to grow.

-OZ


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter. A few days later than I thought but I rewrote it twice a got hit with writer's block halfway through but here it is.

* * *

The Fall of the Gods

-

"Very well." Atem drew a card and added it to his hand. 'I have Silfer in my hand and the right number of monsters to sacrifice, but Kaiba's facedown cards make me worry.' He thought. 'should I maybe wait? No, I have to summon him now or else when my swords vanish Kaiba will tear through my monsters.' "Prepare yourself Kaiba!" Atem yelled. "I sacrifice Kuriboh, Watapon, and Big Shield Gardna in order to summon my Egyptian God, Silfer the Sky Dragon!"

The very air around the duelists crackled with energy as ominous clouds formed above their heads. It was from these clouds the great god of the sky descended, letting off a thunderous cry that shook the room and make Kaiba's coat billow around his legs.

"Alright!" Joey yelled. "His second god, he'll put Kaiba in his place now!"

"Kaiba sure doesn't look too worried though." Tristan observed.

"That's cause my brother's the best and he isn't going to lose." Mokuba declared.

On the field of battle Kaiba smiled, for about a hundredth of a second before it faded to be replaced by his usual mask. 'That kid,' he thought, he never will stop believing in me.' He looked back at the god that was now awaiting the command of its master. 'Not this time Atem.'

Even though he had summon his god, Atem knew he still couldn't challenge the Ultimate Dragon. He only had 4000 attack points. 'I need some more power, I didn't want to play this yet but it looks like I don't have a choice.' "I place one card facedown. Then I activate the magic card, Card of Sanctity! (A/N I am using the anime effect here rather than the actual card effect because the real effect is lame.) This causes us both to draw until we hold six cards."

Kaiba scowled. He already had six cards in his hand so this card didn't benefit him. Worse, now Slifer had an attack strength of 6000, more than enough to beat Ultimate Dragon.

"Slifer! Destroy Kaiba's dragon, Thunder Force!"

Heeding its master The god projected an enormous blast of golden light at its victim intending to destroy it utterly. The attack, however, never reached it intended target.

"Go Attack Guidance Armor! Attach to Peten the Dark Clown." At Kaiba's command a rather diabolical suit of armor appeared on Peten, causing Silfer to redirect its attack. The clown was reduced to ash, but the Ultimate Dragon stood. "since activating Peten's effect would only cause Slifer to automatically destroy it, I won't bring out another.

Atem looked annoyed that his attack missed its target. "I end my turn." He growled.

Kaiba allowed himself a small smirk. It was clear that Atem was beginning to get frustrated. That was good. It meant he was more apt to rush or make an error. 'Time to kill my second god of the day.' He thought.

"I sacrifice Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in order to summon the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!" No sooner had the words left the CEO's lips than the Ultimate dragon split and blew apart revealing the Shining Dragon in all its glory.

"Silfer's effect activates!" Atem declared. "Summon Lightning Shot!"

The Shining Dragon power Dropped from 3900 to a measly 1900 due to Slifer's ability, although both Atem and Kaiba knew that it didn't matter.

"Now I activate my dragon's special ability." Kaiba said "Shining Nova! Destroy Slifer!"

On command the Shining Dragon gather all of its power and unleashed it on the god. Even an Egyptian god card couldn't stand against its power and Slifer was vanquished. 'Two down one to go.' Kaiba thought. "I end my turn."

After 6 Turns

Atem 3500

Kaiba 3800

"Very well." Atem drew his cards and scowled. 'So far Kaiba's just been countering my moves, but now he left himself open to beat Slifer. This is my chance to get ahead and I need to take it.' "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior 1700/1600 In attack mode."

A yellow, human looking figure with magnets for hands and feet and a large magnet running through its head appeared before the Pharaoh.

"Beta, attack!" Atem yelled. Beta did as ordered gathering electricity into its fist and punching Kaiba in the chest causing him to wince as his life points ticked down. "I end my turn."

'Alright,' Seto thought, 'I need to eliminate the threat of Ra. I'm already prepared to stop the one-turn kill so I need to send him to the grave yard so Atem can't summon him for any other reason.'

"I draw, and then activate the spell card Dark Designator. This card allows me to call one of your cards from your deck to your hand and I choose the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"WHAT!" Joey's indignant yell echoed around the chamber.

"Dude, shut up." Tristan said.

"Yeah, you are loud enough to wake the dead." Tea yelled.

"And considering we're in a tomb, you might." Marik added dryly.

"You don't think Kaiba's planning on stealing Ra like he stole Slifer, do you? Yugi asked.

"We'll see." Pegasus said.

"Next I play the spell Card Destruction! Discard your hand Atem."

Atem looked like the victim of a prank-surprised and slightly amused. "Kaiba you realize that Ra is more dangerous in the graveyard than on the field right?"

"More dangerous but easier to deal with if its only around for one turn. Now I place a monster in defense mode and one card down. End turn."

After 7 turns

Atem 3500

Kaiba 2100

Atem drew his card and when he did he got a somber look on his face. "Kaiba this duel is over. And it looks like I will be remaining here."

"He must have drawn something good." Marik said.

"Probably Monster Reborn." Pegasus said. "He'll kill Kaiba-boy this turn."

"That means he gets to stay right?" Tea asked turning to Ishizu.

The other woman nodded. "If the Pharaoh does not find a worthy successor he must remain on this plane."

"I don't know which I want more. On one hand if Kaiba wins I get to keep my partner," Yugi looked around sadly. "but on the other he can't move on to the afterlife and I know he wants to."

"Yeah, I'm torn too Yuge." Joey said. "On one side I want Atem to be happy, but on the other I don't want to listen to Kaiba gloat. I mean he was bad before, if he actually wins this there will be no living with him."

Through all of this Seto said nothing. His eyes never left Atem's as though he was just daring him to make his move. Atem didn't know whether Kaiba was bluffing or not but he knew he had the advantage and he needed to press in.

"Now I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior for Dark Magician Girl 2000/1500 and since your Card Destruction sent my Magician of Black Chaos to the grave she gets 300 extra points."

A cute girl with a wand wearing a blue dress with a silly hat appeared on the field next to Atem. She giggles like she was five and then winked at Kaiba. Kaiba glared back and she started pouting.

"Not that I don't appreciate your monsters antics but are you going to do something or are you trying to cute me to death." he said.

Atem sighed. Despite everything he was still same insufferable man he been when they met. Less evil and more friendly (if you could believe that) but still the same sarcastic, annoying person he had always been. And Atem could tell from the smirk on his face he was enjoying it.

"Very well, I activate the magic of Monster Reborn to resurrect the Winged Dragon of Ra in Phoenix mode!" The fiery form that was the Sun Dragon Ra rose from the ground bathing the room in light. "I now pay 1000 life points to wipe out your face down monster and leave you open to an attack!" The divine flames of Ra incinerated Seto's defense monster, Y Dragon head, and left him open to Dark Magician Girl's attack.

"It is done. Even after 5000 years the Priest is still unable to defeat the Pharaoh." Shadi said

"No," Ishizu said "Kaiba isn't done yet. Have some faith Shadi."

"Dark Magician Girl, wipe him out!" Atem shouted.

"Go Enemy Controller! I switch your monster to defense mode."

Atem cursed under his breath. Again Kaiba had managed to counter him. This wasn't how Kaiba normally dueled. He was usually aggressive, trying to end the duel as quickly as possible. But this time he was letting him make the moves and then stopping him. How annoying. "I activate the spell card Sage's Stone! It allows me to bring forth my Dark Magician 2500/2100! I end my turn."

Seto smirked as he drew his card. His opponent's frustration was obvious and he was taking great pleasure in tormenting Atem. After all if those fortune telling hacks actually knew what they were talking about he might not get another chance. "Sorry to ruin your fun," he said "but if I wouldn't let the Gods take me out I certainly won't lose to that refugee from a daycare center." The look on Atem's face made it all worth it. He looked like he was going to yell something back, but Seto cut him off. "Whatever you're going to say, save it. I don't have all day to trade insults. Now I summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands 1400/1000. He lets me grab Paladin of White Dragon from my deck. Then I activate White Dragon Ritual, sacrificing Manju to summon Paladin of White Dragon 1900/1200!"

A warrior in white and gold armor, armed with a long sword, and riding a dragon with gold eyes that resembled the Blue Eyes in shape appeared before Kaiba. "Now Paladin attack the Dark Magician Girl! Sonic Spear Burst!"

The Paladin struck and Dark Magician looked on with a look of horror as his apprentice was destroyed. Atem shared the look as a growl emerged from his throat. He chose to bite his tongue now as Kaiba obviously wasn't finished. He knew what the next move would be.

"Now I sacrifice my Paladin of White Dragon to summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon 3000/2500! Seto smiled as the bright light filling the chamber signaled the arrival of his most trusted monster. It had seen him through some of the most difficult times in his life. It was the symbol of his pride, of his spirit, of him, and now that it had arrived he felt more than he had all duel. Even its fused form didn't bring out the feeling of calm security that seeing her did. Her? When did he start thinking of his dragon as female? He had always felt a sort of protective, almost motherly vibe coming from the card but he had never before assigned it a sex. 'Well,' he thought, 'since I met my past self in the Memory World and saw that the Blue Eyes was born within Kisara, I guess I would start to think of them as female. Whatever the reason I need to focus.' "Since Blue Eyes can't attack, I place one card down and end my turn."

After 8 Turns

Atem 3800

Seto 2100

So once again the stage is set. On one side Atem stands with the Dark Magician, his most loyal servant. On the other, Seto waits with the Blue Eyes White Dragon, his protector and very soul. The ancient battle captured in stone is again occurring...

* * *

I know the whole Blue Eyes facing off with Dark Magician is a cliche' but it was such a powerful image in the series I couldn't resist.

Review


	5. Chapter 5

Here's Chapter 5

I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH

* * *

The Once and Future King

-

Atem drew his card. "I activate the spell card Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer! This allows me to add Busterblader to my hand. Now I activate the spell Polymerization! I fuse my Dark Magician with Busterblader to create Dark Paladin! The end is near Kaiba! Paladin, attack!"

The Dark Paladin, whose attack had soared to 5900 thanks to all the dragons that Seto had played, lifted his sword and fired a blast of white energy at Blue-Eyes, attempting to end the duel in one attack. This attempt was thwarted when a void opened before the dragon absorbing the energy and canceling the attack.

"Negate Attack." Seto smirked, looking more like his old arrogant self than he had all duel, "You didn't think that after beating all three of the Egyptian Gods I would be undone by your Paladin again, did you?

Atem smiled. "I suppose not. I place one card face down and place a monster in defense mode. End turn."

Seto drew his card. Despite his bravado he knew he was in trouble. He only had one card, Card of Demise, in his hand. With Atem still holding one card and the Paladin's ability to negate magic cards by discarding cards from your hand, he knew if he tried to play it, it would simply be negated and he would be out of options. 'I need a decoy card.' he thought as he looked at the card he pulled. 'And this is perfect.'

"I play the spell card Shrink! It will cut your Paladin down to just 2800 points."

"Not so fast Kaiba! I use the special effect of my Dark Paladin! By discarding the card I hold in my hand I can negate that card and destroy it!"

"I know." Was all Seto said before his card exploded. "I just have to hope this one helps me more. I play Card of Demise! It lets me draw until I'm holding five cards, then in five turns I lose my hand. Now let's see what I've drawn."

Seto looked at his hand as everyone waited with baited breath. He stared at his cards for what seemed like an eternity before he lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.

"I wonder what he drew." Joey said.

"It's written all over his body language," Shadi answered, " the slumped shoulders, lowered head, and hidden eyes are all signs of resignation, of defeat."

"Wait so Kaiba's just going to give up? That doesn't seem like him." Tea said

"I agree." Ishizu confirmed. "I have never seen Kaiba look like that before. Even when I nearly defeated him in Battle City he played till the end, he isn't the type to just quit."

Shadi shrugged. "He has realized what I suspected all along, that while he is closer now to the Pharaoh in terms of skill he still cannot defeat him. Perhaps his next reincarnation will do better."

"Your wrong." Mokuba stated defiantly. " My brother is the best and he's going to win."

Marik looked at the younger Kaiba and then at the elder. "I think the kid might be right the Priest has something up his sleeve."

"What?" Bakura asked.

"I'm not sure but I think we are about to find out." Marik answered nodding toward the duel.

'What did you draw Kaiba?' Yugi thought as he watched Seto look up at Atem, victory shinning in his eyes.

Seto looked at his hand again. It was as good as he remembered, he tried pinching himself, it hurt but he was awake, he even tried closing his eyes to see if maybe he seeing things. But no, even without playing a card he knew if this first card went through, he won. And yet he found that he was somewhat reluctant to end the duel. If he won, and assuming Ishizu and that other jackass (A/N Shadi if you didn't know ) knew what they were talking about and hadn't been out in the sun too long, Atem would leave this world and he would lose his only real challenge. What would he do? Beating up on Wheeler was sure to get old and he doubted any of the others could even provide a descent challenge. For a few delirious seconds he considered surrendering just to keep one of his only sources of entertainment (and major irritation) around. But if he did that he wouldn't be able to rub it in Shadi's face that he beat his precious Pharaoh. And that was worth more than almost anything at the moment.

"I activate my spell Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. This let's me bring Blue-Eyes back to my hand to destroy your face down cards." Blue-Eyes let out a roar as it rose, flapping its wings mightily until Atem set spells/traps were blown away. Then it returned to its master's hand. "Next I play Monster Reborn!"

Atem sighed. He was expecting Kaiba to reborn his Ultimate Dragon and let out a gasp of surprise mixed with realization as his own Black Luster Soldier appeared before Kaiba.

"I saw that I got this as well with my Card Destruction. I'm sure you know what's coming next. I activate Dragon's Mirror! This allows me to fuse Black Luster Soldier on my field, and my Ultimate Dragon from my graveyard to create Dragon Master Knight 5000/5000! You recognize this card right? Almost every time that you and I joined forces this monster appeared, in the Virtual World against the Mythic Dragon, against Dartz in our duel with him, and finally against Zorc. Its Ironic that this card will be the one I beat you with."

Atem knew he was in trouble now. Removing the Ultimate Dragon and the Blue-Eyes from the field and graveyard had cut his attack power. And even with the 500 points he received from the Master Knight he was still at only 5400 and he could tell Kaiba wasn't done.

Seto looked at Atem with an almost nostalgic look on his face as he played his next card: De-Fusion. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But as Atem watched his Paladin spilt back into Dark Magician and Busterblader, the same way he defeated Kaiba at Battle City, he was feeling a wide range of emotions, shock, relief, joy , sorrow and dozens of others. Flattered wasn't one of them.

"Now I play the spell Dragon's Gunfire! It allows me to 800 points of damage to you as long as there's a Dragon on my field, and lucky me there is." A fireball shot past Atem's monsters and struck him directly bringing his life points to just 3000. "And finally, the spell Rush Recklessly! It gives my knight an extra 700 attack points. This duel is over."

Seto stared across at Atem and gave a small nod, a gesture of respect for his greatest rival. Atem nodded back with a sad but at the same time relived smile on his face. It was a moment of understanding and they both knew this was the end.

"Dragon Master Knight, destroy Dark Magician, Galaxy Crusher Strike!" As soon as the words had left Seto's lips, a blinding array of light fired from the mouths of the three headed dragon and joined with a blast from the warrior on its back and impacted with the helpless Dark Magician. The Magician cried out as he was blasted into dust. Then, all was quiet save the the sound of Atem's duel disk counting down to zero.

The duel had ended and caused a lot of mixed reactions in the crowd of onlookers. Joey, Tea, Tristan, and Yugi were actually crying. The Ishtars looked pleased as their duty was finally complete and they were free. Mokuba was cheering and ran toward the platform to congratulate his brother. Pegasus looked disappointed because, like Joey, he knew that now that Seto had his title back, he would become completely insufferable. He had hoped that another crushing loss would knock Seto off his high horse a bit. Bakura looked sad at the loss of the Pharaoh but really felt bad for Yugi and the others since they were much closer than he had been. Shadi looked like he'd been sucker punched and knew he was in for a lot of hell from the former High Priest for all he had said.

As for Seto and Atem they just stood, not saying anything. It had been the greatest duel of their lives and they could honestly say they had gone all out. Atem was proud that Kaiba had proven himself and knew, just as he had known five thousand years ago that he could not have a more worthy successor.

* * *

Alright a few things.

1. This is the end of the story. I wanted to have this big ending send off but then I decided after reading the one I wrote that I'm really bad at it so I dropped it. It you want a sappy ending for this just watch the Anime.

2. The math for Kaiba's last move Atem's life Points 3800-800 for Dragon's Gunfire 3000 Dragon Master Knight 5000+ Rush Recklessly 7005700-Dark Magician's 25003200. 3000-3200 -200

3. Sorry for the short chapter but like I said I just didn't like the rest of it so I ended it there.

4. A HUGE Thank You to Crystal Rose of Pollux without whose help and support this story wouldn't have been possible.

5. The name of Dragon Master Knight's attack was from another fanfic but I don't remember which one but If the author reads this and tells me I'll change this to reflect proper credit.

So that's it to those who read this story I thank you. To those that read this and didn't review why?


End file.
